Light - Reflection & Refraction

Reflection of Light

Reflection of light is the process of bouncing back light rays when it strikes the smooth and shiny reflecting
surface.
Laws of reflection of light
angle of incidence = angle of reflection
The incident ray, the normal to the mirror at the point of incidence and the reflected
ray, all lie in the same plane.
Properties of Image formed by Plane Mirror
Virtual, erect, and laterally inverted.
The size of the image is equal to that of the object, and the image appears as far behind the mirror as the
object is in front of it

Spherical Mirrors

A spherical mirror whose reflecting surface is curved outwards is called a convex mirror, while one curved inwards
is a concave mirror.

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Some important terms related to spherical mirrors

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Pole(P): It is the centre of the reflecting surface of a spherical
mirror and it lies on the surface of the mirror.
Aperture: The diameter of the reflecting surface
Centre of Curvature(C): The centre of the spherical surface of which the mirror is
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g
a part. It lies outside its reflecting surface and in concave mirror lies in front of it.
Radius of Curvature(R): It is the radius of spherical mirror of which the reflecting Concave Convex

n
surface is a part of

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Mirror Mirror
Principal Axis: It is the line passing through the center of the mirror that is exactly perpendicular to the

n
surface of the mirror.

r
Focal length(f): It is the distance b/w pole and focus point of the mirror. R = 2f

ea Image formation by Spherical Mirrors

L
Can form real or virtual images depending on the position of the object relative to the mirror.
It can be highly diminished, diminished, same size, enlarged, or highly enlarged.

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Following ray diagrams are formed when a ray of light passes through different points -
Ray parallel to Ray passing through Ray passing through Ray incident obliquely

tiv principle axis principle focus Center of Curvature to the principal axis

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r
Concave
Mirror

C Ray pass through the

principal focus
Ray emerges parallel to
principle axis
Ray is reflected back
along the same path
Ray is Reflected obliquely
making equal angles

Convex
Mirror

Ray appear to diverge Ray emerges parallel to Ray is reflected back Ray is Reflected obliquely
from the principal focus principle axis along the same path making equal angles
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 Image formation by Concave Mirror

Position of object Ray diagram Image formed at Properties of image

Real, Inverted, very

At Infinity Focus
small

Real, Inverted,
Between Infinity and C Between F and C
diminished

At C C
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Real, Inverted, same in

2
size

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Between F and C

ni beyond C
Real, Inverted, very
large

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At F
Le infinity
Real, Inverted, very
large

ive
at
Between F and P behind the mirror Virtual, Erect, enlarged

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C Uses of Concave Mirror
Torchlights, searchlights, and vehicle headlights: Concave mirrors are used in these lighting devices to
produce powerful parallel beams of light for illumination.
Shaving mirrors: Concave mirrors are utilized as shaving mirrors to provide a larger image of the face, aiding in
better visibility during grooming routines.
Dental applications: Dentists use concave mirrors to examine and magnify images of patients' teeth, allowing
for detailed inspection and treatment.
Solar furnaces: Large concave mirrors are employed in solar furnaces to concentrate sunlight, generating heat
energy for various industrial processes.

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 Image formation by Convex Mirror

Position of object Ray diagram Image formed at Properties of image

Virtual, erect, very

At Infinity Focus
small in size

Virtual, erect,
In front of mirror b/w P and F
diminished

Uses of Convex Mirror

enabling them to see the traffic behind for safe driving.

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Rear-view mirrors in vehicles: Convex mirrors are used vehicles to provide drivers with a wider field of view,

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Observation of distant objects: Convex mirrors are used in places like the Agra Fort, where visitors can
observe full-length images of distant objects such as the Taj Mahal.

ni Sign Convention for Reflection by Spherical Mirrors

r
The object is always placed to the left of the mirror. This implies that the light from the object falls on the
mirror from the left-hand side.

a
All distances parallel to the principal axis are measured from the pole of the mirror.

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All the distances measured to the right of the origin (along x-axis) are taken as positive while those measured
to the left of the origin (along – x-axis) are taken as negative.
Distances measured perpendicular to and above the principal axis (along + y-axis) are taken as positive.
Distances measured perpendicular to and below the principal axis (along –y-axis) are taken as negative

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at
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Mirror Formula Magnification

Distance of object Relative extent to which the image of an object is

from pole = u magnified
Distance of image m= Height (image)/ Height (object)
from pole = v m= h’/h = -v/u
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 Refraction of Light

Refraction occurs when light travels from one medium to another, causing a change
in its speed and direction. e.g.-
The pencil appears displaced in water due to light refraction causing a shift in direction.
letters seem raised when viewed through a glass slab due to the same optical effect.

Refraction through a Glass Slab

When a ray of light enters the glass slab obliquely, it undergoes refraction at both the air-glass interface and
the glass-air interface.
The extent of bending of the light ray at these interfaces is equal and opposite, causing the emergent ray to be
parallel to the incident ray but slightly shifted sideways.
Laws of Refraction of Light (Snell’s Law)
The incident ray, the refracted ray and the normal to the interface of two transparent media at the point
of incidence, all lie in the same plane.

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The ratio of sine of angle of incidence to the sine of angle of refraction is a constant, for the light of a
given colour and for the given pair of media.

Sin i /Sin r = Constant

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re Refracting Index

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Refractive index is a measure of how much light slows down when passing through a medium compared to its
speed in a vacuum i.e. extent of bending.
The refractive index of a medium is defined as the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum to the speed of light
in that medium.
N = speed of light (c)(air) / speed of light (v)(medium)

It is a dimensionless quantity that is related to the relative speed of propagation of light in different media,
with light traveling fastest in vacuum and slower in materials like glass, water, and diamond.
Increasing refractive index of some materials
Air < ice < water < alcohol < kerosene < fused quartz < turpentine oil < benzene < crown glass < canada
balsam < rock salt < carbon disulphide < dense flint glass < ruby < sapphire < diamond

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 Refraction by Spherical Lens

A lens is a transparent material bound by two surfaces, at least one of which is spherical.
Spherical lenses can have one or both surfaces that are spherical, with the other surface being either spherical
or plane.
The bending of light rays by spherical lenses is governed by the shape and curvature of the lens surfaces.
Convex lenses
Convex lensesare
arethicker
thickerat at
thethe
center and and
center thinner at the
thinner atedges, causingcausing
the edges, light rays to rays
light converge after passing
to converge after
through the lens.
passing through the lens.
Concave lenses are thinner at the center and thicker at the edges, causing light rays to diverge after passing
Concave lenses are thinner at the center and thicker at the edges, causing light rays to diverge after
through the lens.
passing through the lens.

Convex Lens Concave Lens

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Some important terms related to lens
Centre of curvature (C)- Centre of the sphere of which the lens is a part of
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g
Principal axis- Imaginary line passing via C.
Optical Centre (O)- Central point of a bifocal lens.

n
i
Principal focus- Point on the principal axis, on which the rays converge, when parallel rays fall on the lens.

rn Image formation by Lenses

Ray passing through principle Ray passing through optical

a
Ray parallel to principle axis
focus centre

Le
e
Concex lens

tiv Ray passes through the

principal focus
Ray emerge parallel to the
principal axis
Ray emerge without any
deviation.

ea
Cr
Concave lens

Ray passes through the

principal focus
Ray emerge parallel to the
principal axis
Ray emerge without any
deviation.

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 Image formed by Convex Lens
Position of object Ray diagram Image formed at Properties of image

Diminished, Real,
At Infinity Focus F₂
inverted, point-sized

Diminished, Real,
Beyond 2F₁ b/w F₂ - 2F₂
inverted

Same size, Real,

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At 2F₁ 2F₂

.
inverted

2
ng
Between F₁ and 2F₁

ni beyond 2F₂
Enlarged, Real,
inverted

ar
Le Infinitely large, Real,

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At focus F₁ infinity
inverted

tiv
ea
Between focus F₁ and on the same side of lens Enlarged, Virtual,

Cr O as the object erect

Image formed by Concave Lens

Position of object Ray diagram Image formed at Properties of image

diminished, virtual,
At infinity At focus F₁
erect

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 Diminished, Virtual,
Between infinity and O b/w O and F₁
erect

When dealing with lenses, sign conventions are used similar to spherical mirrors. Measurements are taken from the
lens's optical center. In the convention, a convex lens has a positive focal length while a concave lens has a negative
focal length. Properly apply signs to u, v, f, object height h, and image height h'.

Lens formula Magnification

Magnification is ratio of the height of the image and the
object distance→ u
height of the object.
image distance→ v
focal length→ f m= Height (image)/ Height (object)

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m= h’/h = v/u

Power of lens

2.
The power of a lens is determined by its ability to converge or diverge light rays and is defined as the reciprocal

g
of its focal length. P= 1/f

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SI Unit are dioptre (D)

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Power of a convex lens is positive and that of a concave lens is negative

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 Activity

Activity 9.1

Take a large shining spoon. Try to view your face in its curved surface.
Do you get the image? Is it smaller or larger?
Move the spoon slowly away from your face. Observe the image. How does it change?
Reverse the spoon and repeat the Activity. How does the image look like now?
Compare the characteristics of the image on the two surfaces.

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Observation

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Inner side (Concave Mirror): Enlarged and erect behind the spoon

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Outer side (Convex Mirror): Virtual, diminished and erect

Activity 9.2

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Hold a concave mirror in your hand and direct its reflecting surface towards the Sun.
Direct the light reflected by the mirror on to a sheet of paper held close to the mirror.
Move the sheet of paper back and forth gradually until you find on the paper sheet a bright, sharp spot of light.

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Hold the mirror and the paper in the same position for a few minutes. What do you observe? Why?

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C
Observation
Parallel beam of light coming from infinity (in this case – the sun) incident on concave mirror to form a real,
inverted and point-sized image.
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 Activity 9.5

Take a convex mirror. Hold it in one hand.

Hold a pencil in the upright position in the other hand.
Observe the image of the pencil in the mirror. Is the image erect or inverted? Is it diminished or enlarged?
Move the pencil away from the mirror slowly. Does the image become smaller or larger?
Repeat this Activity carefully. State whether the image will move closer to or farther away from the focus as
the object is moved away from the mirror?

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Observation
virtual, diminished, and the erect image is formed.
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ng Activity 9.6

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Observe the image of a distant object, say a distant tree, in a plane mirror.
Could you see a full-length image?

rn
Try with plane mirrors of different sizes. Did you see the entire object in the image?
Repeat this Activity with a concave mirror. Did the mirror show full length image of the object?

a
Now try using a convex mirror. Did you succeed? Explain your observations with reason.

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Observation
Plane Mirror: No full length image
Concave Mirror: Full length image for certain positions
Convex Lens: Full-length image for any position

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 Activity 9.7

Place a coin at the bottom of a bucket filled with water.

With your eye to a side above water, try to pick up the coin in one go. Did you succeed in picking up the coin?
Repeat the Activity. Why did you not succeed in doing it in one go?
Ask your friends to do this. Compare your experience with theirs.

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2
g
Observation
The coin in the beaker is seen in another position

in Activity 9.8

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Place a large shallow bowl on a Table and put a coin in it.
Move away slowly from the bowl. Stop when the coin just disappears from your sight.

a
Ask a friend to pour water gently into the bowl without disturbing the coin.
Keep looking for the coin from your position. Does the coin becomes visible again from your position? How could
this happen?

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Observation
Coin disappear after moving away the bowl
After adding water the coin reappear from the same position

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 Activity 9.9

Draw a thick straight line in ink, over a sheet of white paper placed on a Table.
Place a glass slab over the line in such a way that one of its edges makes an angle with the line.
Look at the portion of the line under the slab from the sides. What do you observe? Does the line under the
glass slab appear to be bent at the edges?
Next, place the glass slab such that it is normal to the line. What do you observe now? Does the part of the line
under the glass slab appear bent?
Look at the line from the top of the glass slab. Does the part of the line, beneath the slab, appear to be raised?
Why does this happen?
Observation
line under slab appear to be bent
part of the line under the glass slab does not appear bent & line beneath the slab appears to be raised

Activity 9.10

Fix a sheet of white paper on a drawing board using drawing pins.

Place a rectangular glass slab over the sheet in the middle.
Draw the outline of the slab with a pencil. Let us name the outline as ABCD.
Take four identical pins. n Fix two pins, say E and F, vertically such that the line joining the pins is inclined to
the edge AB.

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Look for the images of the pins E and F through the opposite edge. Fix two other pins, say G and H, such that

2
these pins and the images of E and F lie on a straight line.
Remove the pins and the slab. n Join the positions of tip of the pins E and F and produce the line up to AB. Let
EF meet AB at O. Similarly, join the positions of tip of the pins G and H and produce it up to the edge CD. Let
HG meet CD at O′.

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Join O and O′. Also produce EF up to P, as shown by a dotted line in Fig.

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Observation

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The light ray that enters from a rarer medium to a denser medium bends toward the normal and enters from a

r
denser to rarer medium bends away from the normal.

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Activity 9.11

Hold a convex lens in your hand. Direct it towards the Sun. Focus the light from the Sun on a sheet of paper.
Obtain a sharp bright image of the Sun.
Hold the paper and the lens in the same position for a while. Keep observing the paper. What happened? Why?
Observation
A sharp point on the paper.

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